Old Missouri River Chute Becomes National Wildlife Refuge

OMAHA, Nebraska, September 25, 2007 (ENS) - The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District has been chosen to receive the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Land Protection Award this year.

The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District is a local conservation agency in Nebraska with the responsibility for protection andenhancement of the state's natural resources and to conserve, manage and enhance soil, water, wildlife, and forest resources.

Environmental coordinator Jim Becic will accept the award on behalf of the District on October 4 at the 20th annual National Land Conservation Conference at the Adams Mark Hotel in Denver, Colorado.

The award was established in 2001 by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Division of Realty to recognize a private citizen, group, organization, corporation, or public agency for their contribution to land protection for fish and wildlife resources in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I'm pleased to recognize the District for their outstanding conservation work that resulted in wetland restoration and the donation of 2,000 acres to the Service to establish Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge near Omaha, Nebraska," said Eric Alvarez, Realty Division Chief, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The wetland renovation project completed by the District in 1996 returned more than 2,000 acres to riparian wetlands and native vegetation. As part of the project, the District developed recreation facilities, including hiking trails, canoe launches, fishing access, and educational interpretation of the natural resources with input from the Service.

"This acreage, along with development of roads, trails, kiosks, fencing, fishing piers, and interpretive facilities has a value of $6 million," Alvarez said.

The restoration of a 2.5 mile long old river channel, known as a chute, marked the beginning of the Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge. In 2005, the District restored the area and donated an additional 700 acres valued at more than $1 million to the Service for inclusion in the refuge.

The Papio-Missouri River District has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the conservation of the soil, water, and wildlife resources along the Missouri River Corridor, Alvarez said.

Working in partnership with the Corps of Engineers, the District restored and renovated wetlands along the Missouri River that were lost due to Corps channelization for navigation half a century ago.

In 1937, the Corps cut off the upstream end of Boyer Chute to enhance the river's main navigation channel. Culverts were installed in the upstream cutoff wall to allow some water to enter the chute, but sediments accumulated, and a forest gradually took hold in and along the chute.

Creation of the Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge has restored the area to near pre-channelization condition without affecting navigation on the main stem of the Missouri River. Boyer Chute is once again a functioning part of the river.

Close to 3,350 acres of floodplain woodland, tallgrass prairie, and wetland habitats now benefit Missouri River fishes, migratory birds, and endangered species.

Today, the refuge is inhabited by dozens of mammal species, including deer, beaver, opossums, raccoons, bobcats, foxes and coyotes. Bald eagles, herons, ducks, belted kingfishers and hawks are known to inhabit the refuge.

As tracts of land are acquired, old river scars and associated wetlands are being restored by removing layers of silt and constructing low level dikes, providing habitat for wetland dependent species. Restoration of other chutes and river banks to create shallow water habitat will be a focus in the coming years.

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